An Angel Between the Strong and the Fearless
by TheGrandGiftOfSilence
Summary: AU/OOC. Clary used to be a model, working for her Dad. And after she meets the gorgeous Jace Herondale, and then his equally gorgeous brother Will, she finds herself having to step in to do a shoot. How was she to know that the shoot was with both the Strong and the Fearless? M for language and later chapters. Full Summary Inside!
1. Hate At First Sight

**Full Summary: Clary's Mom always wanted her to be a model at her Dad's agency. But when she lost her battle to cancer, Clary left the modelling world behind her and concentrated on being an artist instead. But when her father's best model can't make it to a shoot, she is forced to step in and she reluctantly agrees, just this once. And when she meets the gorgeous Jace Herondale, and his equally gorgeous older brother Will, she finds them being the fearlessness and the strength she needs to do what's right. It just sucks that she has to choose between the two.**

**So, hello my Minions! Okay, so know I should be working on my other two fanfictions that are currently going on, but this idea popped into my head and it wouldn't go away until I wrote it down. I'll try and get updates for my other two stories up in the next week, but school's making everything hard. Plus, it's GCSE year for me, so I don't know what will happen. We'll just have to see. Enjoy, my little Minions!**

**QUICK NOTE: Clary's height in this is a bit taller than she is in the books, but she's 5 years older and still a lot smaller than everyone else. I've had to up everyone's height a bit because of the whole model aspect of the story, but it's not a huge one. Just thought I'd let you know :P**

**Chapter songs (reasons why at the end):**

**(Scene 1) All Signs Point To Lauderdale – A Day To Remember **

**(Scene 2 - The Coffee Shop) Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar.**

* * *

_**"I can't live my life always backing down,  
****I got to do this right, then make it make a sound.  
****Cause I'm not here for nothing,  
****At least I can say I stand for something."  
**All Signs Point To Lauderdale - A Day To Remember_

* * *

"Clary, come on. For me?"

I looked up from my drawing and instantly regretted it. Izzy was doing those stupid big puppy dog eyes at me, and, damn it, they were working.

"Iz, I can't. You know I can't." I tried again to get out of doing whatever crazy thing Izzy wanted to do, because one, it was usually mentally insane and two, the both of us ended up being completely out of it by the end of the night.

That's a nice way to say that we were drunk out of our God damn minds.

Izzy just widened her eyes further; big, round and dark staring straight at me. She gestured towards her face. "We both know this is your weakness, C. Can you just say yes already?"

I sighed in frustration and tapped my pencil against my forehead. "Fine, fine," I said blowing out a breath as Izzy whooped, flopping backwards on my bed. "But if I come home drunk this time you can tell my Dad exactly what happened, okay?"

Izzy rolled over on her side and propped her head up with her elbow. "When do I ever get you drunk, C?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed my pencil accusingly in her direction. "You're kidding me, right? Don't you remember last weekend? And the one before that? And the one before _that_? The list is endless, my friend."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I get you drunk all the time. Although I hate to remind you that you always agree to it first."

"And I hate to remind you that you refuse to tell me what we're doing before I agree to it, and you don't exactly give me much choice, either."

Izzy flapped her hand at me, a distracted grin on her face. "Don't you worry about a thing, C. I've got everything planned for tonight, and you're gonna love what's on the menu."

I narrowed my eyes. "You better not be taking me to another male stripper club again, Iz. Otherwise I'll gouge out your eyeballs and eat them so you won't be able to look."

Izzy put her hand to her chest in mock horror. "You're telling me that you didn't like the hot, mostly naked men that were giving us a wonderful show the night of your 21st? Because I was enjoying myself immensely."

I refused to let my mind wander back to that day a few months back and threw my pencil at her instead, narrowly missing her nose. "I remember, Iz, and it was really gross how you were eyeing up that younger lad."

"I'm 22. I'm allowed a bit of fun once in a while, and it's not like I kissed him or anything. No harm came from it!"

I grinned at her. "But you would've liked to, I bet."

Izzy sighed and covered her hand with her mouth. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," she mumbled, and my grin widened.

I turned back to face my sketchpad and huffed when I realised I'd thrown my pencil at her face. What a waste of a perfectly good pencil.

Izzy groaned behind me and I heard the creak of my mattress springs. "I'll tell your Dad, okay? We both know I'm on wonderful terms with Uncle Luke anyway."

I raised my eyes upwards and shot her a look, even though we both knew she was right. She spoke more to Luke in an hour than I did in a day, and it made me jealous of the relationship that my best friend had with my Dad. She did work for him, though, so I suppose it made sense, but Luke hardly ever found time for me anymore. He was always busy with his agency, and, more importantly, his models.

Yeah, Luke was an agent. And a pretty big one in the modelling business. A year ago me and Izzy both had worked for Luke, and done shoots together. That was before my Mom.

"Ah, shit," Izzy yelped, jumping up from my bed and smoothing her dress down over her curves, bringing me out of my head. "I have a shoot in an hour, and Luke will kill me if I'm late to this one."

"What's this one for?" I asked with interest. I didn't model anymore, but I liked to know what was going on with Izzy. It was what best friends were for.

Izzy waved her hand. "I dunno, some new perfume or something. I should probably start paying attention to Luke when he tells me what I'm supposed to be doing in the future."

I laughed. "Yeah, you probably should. Who knows, you might have said yes to doing a full naked shoot."

"Ugh, I hope not!" Izzy cried, shuddering. "No boy gets to perv on my private parts, thank you very much."

"Sure, sure. Like we both don't know that many boys have gotten into your pants."

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Only the hot ones, C." I gagged as she licked her lips in a very suggestive manner. Izzy had a very dirty sense of humour sometimes. "Anyway, call whoever you want to for tonight. We're going to Pandemonium."

_Oh, no. Not Pandemonium. Please, anywhere but there!_

Izzy must have read the look on my face because she wagged a finger at me, shaking her head. "You have to move on from that now, C. Wear something good, won't you? You were a model once, I'm sure you can find something totally heart-break worthy for tonight. I'd help you, but I've got shoots until seven."

I raised an eyebrow, but gave up when I realised I had failed miserably. Damn my non-power to raise one eyebrow. "Who's heart am I breaking, exactly?"

"All the boys' on the dance floor," she replied with a wink, then walked over to my door and pulled it open. "I'll pick you up at eight, C. Don't keep me waiting!"

I opened my mouth to reply but the door had already shut behind her, so I scowled at the wood instead. The last time I went to Pandemonium with Izzy, I had to watch my boyfriend Sebastian as he kissed another girl right in front of me. Sure, I'd dumped his ass there and then after smacking him senseless, but it didn't help with the hurt that it caused. Not to mention that it was the day before my birthday, which also meant it was the day before Izzy took me to that club.

I'd really thought me and Sebastian were good together, and over a year of being a couple made me feel even more sure of myself. A break-up I could've dealt with. Watching him kiss a slut with boobs too big for her body I still couldn't deal with, and it had been three months ago.

I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face. I wasn't about to give the asshole any satisfaction at all. God knows what he would say if he ever found out that I still thought about him, even now.

I felt my phone vibrate against my leg from where it rested in my pocket, and I pulled it out with a smile, already knowing who it would be.

"Hey Jon," I said, spinning around on my desk chair. "What's up?"

A deep chuckle came from the other end of the phone and I grinned. It was always nice to hear my brother laugh, especially since he'd moved out. It had made living in this massive house with just Luke harder to bear.

"There's no getting past you anymore, Clare," Jon said, still laughing. "I'm pretty sure you didn't have to check the caller ID before you answered."

"Course not, Jon," I replied. "I always know when my big brother wants to talk to me."

"I'm sure you do, and I'm glad about that. Otherwise it would be very awkward if you called me someone else."

I rolled my eyes upward, shaking my head at the phone. Once, when me and Sebastian were still dating, I'd managed to butt dial Jon in the middle of a very intense make-out session, and he'd stayed on the line for at least 5 minutes. He'd never let me live it down since.

"Stop bringing that up, you douche! Now, what do you want, oh marvellous big brother?"

"Ah, that's the Clary I love," he said with complete seriousness, and I rolled my eyes again.

"Ever the actor, Jon."

"Don't you forget it! Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at Java Jones. We could go for a coffee or something during my lunch break, seen as I hardly get to see you anyway. Sound good?"

I glanced at the alarm clock and shrugged, seeing it was only quarter to one. "Sure, when do you get off?"

"In about 15 minutes. I'll meet you there?"

"Yeah, see you soon."

"In a bit, little sis," he replied before hanging up. The receiver buzzed in my ear, and I smiled as I lowered my phone, shoving it back in my pocket. I hadn't seen Jon in almost a week, and although he rang me every day, it was always nice to see him when we both had the chance. So on a day like today, when I wasn't drawing for my new art project at university and Jonathon actually had a lunch break, the both of us jumped at the chance to meet up.

I stood up slowly from my chair and stretched, then pulled on my old converse that were next to my door. I grabbed a black hoodie and my iPod and traced the same path through the house that Izzy would have just a few minutes ago.

I didn't bother saying bye to Luke. He would be busy with work, and it wasn't like he actually cared where I went anyway. Such a role model.

Turning my iPod on, I pulled open the front door and stepped out into the cool autumn air. Even in the city it got cold as winter drew closer, and I pulled my hoodie tighter around my neck. Damn weather.

I set off walking down the street with A Day To Remember blaring in my ears, bobbing my head to the music and finding myself relating to the lyrics perfectly.

_I hate this town,  
__It's so washed up,  
__And all my friends don't give a fuck.  
__They'll tell me that it's just bad luck,  
__When will I find where I fit in?_

It was the scary truth about my life in New York. Ever since my Mom, I'd hated life here, hated every single day with a passion. The only thing that kept me going was my art and my friends, but so many of them were off doing their own thing nowadays that I rarely got to see them all together anymore. Izzy was always doing shoots, Simon was testing video games, and even Jordan and Maia couldn't make the effort to find time for me. Sure, they all had jobs, but I just wanted to get out of New York and move away as far as possible.

And honestly? I was wondering if I would ever find where I fit in.

The song kept playing in my ears as I walked into Java Jones, immediately grateful for the warmth against the chill of the wind outside. I walked towards the counter, struggling with the zip of my jacket, and crashed head first into something solid, sending me sprawling on my ass.

What a way to make a first impression.

I shook my head to clear it of the dizziness from the impact, pulled out one earphone and glared upwards, trying to keep it on my face as I stared at what, or should I say _who_, I'd walked into.

He was freaking _gorgeous_.

I've worked with male models, but none of them came close to this guy. Not one. And I thought I'd seen everything there was to see in New York.

He was tall, maybe about nine inches taller than my 5"5', and he was tanned golden brown. Golden blonde hair curled around his ears and flopped forward on his forehead, obscuring his eyes. He had a tattoo that curled around his bicep, and I could easily tell through his shirt that he had muscles. Big ones.

I'd hoped to come out with some witty comment about how ignorant it was to walk into someone, but I couldn't form a thought. Instead, I just stared at him with my mouth opening and closing, easily resembling a goldfish. And I was blushing. Great.

"You didn't have to get on the floor to worship my attractiveness, you know," he said, his perfect mouth curving up into a smirk. "Although, it is nice when someone recognises their God."

I shut my mouth with a snap and frowned. So, he was one of those really-hot-but-extremely-ignorant-and-cocky guys.

"There is no way I'd get on the floor for you, douchebag," I replied, getting up and brushing the dust from my knees.

"I'm pretty sure your ass just came in contact with it, but I might just be seeing things."

"Are you always this arrogant?" I asked him, cocking my head to one side. "Normally you would say sorry and I would say it back, but I can tell that's not going to happen."

"You're not going to apologise for spilling my coffee all over the floor? That's very impolite of you." He waved an empty mug at me and brushed the other hand through his hair so that his eyes were visible, and wow. They were... yellow? Gold? I didn't even know. But if I wasn't so mad at the bastard I would have melted into a little pool of Clary juice at his feet.

"Were you going to apologise for knocking me on my ass?"

"It's a very attractive ass."

I narrowed my eyes. "You know, first meetings are supposed to be nice, but I don't think you know how to be anything except an ass."

He smirked again, his mouth tilting up at the corner. "I don't think you want to leave the topic of asses alone, do you, Scarlet?"

I raised both eyebrows at him, refusing to take his comment as an insult. Two could play at this game.

"Aww, already creating a pet name for me? You must have some serious issues."

"I think you're the one with the issues," he replied smoothly, not taking his eyes away from mine.

Dammit! Why was this guy making me so pissed off? The only guy that had ever managed to piss me off this much was Sebastian when we first met, and then he'd cheated on me with an STI-ridden whore. That was probably why this guy was annoying me so much; because he reminded me of Sebastian, and I didn't need to be reminded about that.

I opened my mouth to send a very rude and insulting comment back at him, when we were interrupted by a very loud "JACEY!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed, hard, covering my mouth with a hand at the sight of _Jacey's_ disgusted expression. Although I was pretty sure that wasn't his name. I mean, what a stupid name.

A girl flung herself at him, literally pushing her boobs out so far that I thought she'd have a spasm or something. Not that he seemed to mind, of course. The man-whore that he is reacted very... well, let's just say he got a little bit excited.

I was still laughing when the girl leaned over and kissed him full on the lips. And not just a peck, either. A full on make-out session with tongues and everything. I dropped my hand.

I still stood there, stunned, when he finally pushed the girl off of him. She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out so far that I wanted to cut it off.

"Can you guys keep it PG please? Some of us are trying not to vomit over here," I spat out instead, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

The girl whined, and I rolled my eyes. "Who is this, Jacey? Why are you talking to her? You might catch something!"

I snorted, unable to hold it in. "And how many STI's as he contracted from you, exactly? Not including the ones that don't have names yet."

He chuckled. "She'd got you there."

"JACE! You're supposed to be on my side!"

Ah, so his name was Jace. Well, I could certainly see some fun coming from this.

"Aww, is liccle Jacey not allowed to think for himself?" I asked him, clasping my hands in front of me and widening my eyes. "Waiting for your bitch to pat you on the head and call you a good boy?"

The girl shrieked then, so loud that almost everyone in the coffee shop turned round to look at us. The tables closest to us were laughing, snorting into their mugs and trying to keep a straight face. And I could honestly say that I was having a hard time to keep the smile from my own.

"Come on, Jace, we're leaving. I don't wanna be around this little whore."

I waggled my fingers. "Right back at you."

She huffed before stamping out the shop, snickers coming from the tables at either side.

When I turned back Jace had his eyes fixed on me intently, his face blank of all emotion apart from that smirk. "What?" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest.

His smirk got wider. "You've got some fire in you, Scarlet Fever."

"You're naming me after a disease?"

"If you want to think of it like that," he replied easily.

I laughed scornfully, shaking my head. "You make it sound like we'll see each other again."

"Won't we?"

I stepped back in shock. "You're kidding me right? If I see you again, you can be damn sure that I'll cut off your testicles and feed them to my friend's cat."

His eyes glinted. "I'll take the risk."

I huffed and turned away from him, then jumped when I felt the heat of his hand on my arm. It was so hard to ignore the shock that ran through my body at the contact, but I fought to keep the heat that threatened to rise into my face down. But my heartbeat still quickened.

"We'll see if you keep to your word, Scarlet Fever. Maybe next time I'll get to know your name. Laters." He let go, and before I could look back at him he was walking out the door, winking at me on the way.

What a dick! I wasn't kidding when I said I'd cut off his balls. Boys like him just really pissed me off, and ever since Sebastian I hadn't let them get away with it. No girl deserved to be treated like that, even if said girl was a slutty, infested slag.

I slid into a stool when I reached the counter and wrapped my headphones around my iPod, noticing that Pat Benatar had been singing in my ear throughout the whole encounter. She must have given me the courage to stand up to that douche, although now my legs felt pretty shaky. He'd certainly left an impression on me, that was for sure.

"Hey."

I started and looked up to see a girl smiling down at me from across the counter.

"Hey," I replied, shoving my iPod in my pocket.

"I saw everything, you know. You had the guts to do something I've wanted to do for the past two weeks."

I grinned. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. The girl's a bitch, and her boyfriend is no better. At least you don't have to work with her."

I laughed. "I think I would have killed her by now."

"I'm surprised I haven't," the girl replied with a wink. She held out her hand and I grabbed it in mine. "I'm Tessa. Tessa Gray."

"Clary Garroway. It's nice to meet you, Tessa. I haven't seen you working here before." I pulled my hand back and rested it on the counter, keeping my eyes fixed on Tessa.

"I'm fairly new here. I just moved from London with my boyfriend," she said, a twinkle in her eye.

"But you don't have a London accent," I said, trying to determine it from her speech. I could detect a little bit of English, but she was definitely American.

She waved a hand. "I was born here, but my family moved to England after a while. Jem's English though."

I nodded my head. "That sounds pretty cool."

"Yeah, it is. Anyway, I better get back to work. Can I get you anything, Clary?"

"Erm, two coffees please. One white, one black."

"Like your soul?" she asked playfully.

I grinned. "I think you witnessed that for yourself."

"Yeah, I think I did." She laughed, throwing back her head. "Two coffees, coming up."

She disappeared behind the counter to make the drinks and I rested my head on my hand, drawing patterns with the other on the wood of the counter. I kept my mind off of Jace by thinking about my brother instead. I couldn't even remember the last time we'd seen each other. Things always seemed to get in the way when we arranged to do something, and I was hoping that today wasn't one of those days. I needed something normal to do, and going to the place where everything ended later on with Izzy wasn't going to help.

Tessa came back then, setting two mugs on the counter on front of me. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I replied, pulling a $5 bill from my pocket and handing it over to her, but she pushed it away. I raised my eyebrows.

"On the house. Purely for having some serious guts." She grinned and turned to her next customer, waving away my questions. She really was pretty; a bit shorter than Izzy, with long brown hair and blue-gray eyes. I could imagine Tessa dating someone like Jonathon, blonde and all smiles and love. She certainly didn't look like the type to date a jackass. And, best of all, she acted like herself instead of putting on a facade to hide behind. Clever girl.

"Clary!"

I shook myself out of my thoughts and grinned as Jon came towards me, sliding off my stool as he scooped me up into a hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages, Jon. I've missed you."

Jon pulled back and gave me a smile. A nice smile, one that the golden-eyed ass couldn't form, apparently. Although he was the epitome of hotness. He must have been an actor or something. But he was pretty fearless... Maybe he did stunts. Or maybe he was a male stripper, one that worked in that club the night that me and Izzy went, but I was just too drunk to notice.

"I know, Clare," Jon said, saving me from my dirty thoughts. "How's Dad?"

I shrugged with a sigh. "Luke is work. It's all he ever does."

Jon nodded knowingly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." I pushed the mug of creamy coffee across the counter. "Coffee?"

Jon laughed, concern still etched in his eyes. "God dammit, Clare-Bear. I should have got here first!"

I waved a hand as I sat back down, dismissing his comment. "You pay almost every other time, you know. I earn money too."

"But I earn more than you do," he replied playfully, elbowing me in the side as he sat down net to me.

I grinned. "I know you do."

It was nice to see my brother again, nice to focus on someone else instead of Izzy for a change. But after meeting the equivalent of Sebastian (cocky, arrogant, yet extremely handsome), it had brought up memories that I'd focused on forgetting about for the last three months. Not to mention that this Jace had kissed a girl right in front of me, just like Sebastian had on that fateful night.

Then it hit me. Why the encounter with Jace and his bitch had bothered me so much.

Because I recognised that girl. And I was certain now that it came in the fake, spray-tanned bottle of Aline Penhallow.

In other words, my ex-boyfriends cousin.

Ah, shit.

* * *

**Well here it is my Minions! The first chapter of An Angel Between the Strong and the Fearless. ****So basically the first song is obvious, and the second one is more about Clary meeting the equivalent of Sebastian, if that makes sense. **

**So what do we think? And what about the cover photo! It took me ages :P**

**Clary: It's really good, actually. It fits the story really well.**

**Jace: And you said I couldn't draw a straight line.**

**Simon: You drew that?! You're kidding me!**

**Me: Erm, Simon...?**

**Magnus: Good job, pretty boy. Who knew you could be creative!**

**Jace: I'm very creative.**

**Me: Guys...**

**Izzy: Eww, Jace. That's so disgusting! Save it for Clary, please!**

**Alec: I never thought I'd say it, but it's actually-**

**Me: OI!**

**(All turn to look at me)**

**Me: Jace didn't draw it, I did. So be quiet before I kick you all out of my story!**

**Jace: You wouldn't have a story if I wasn't in it.**

**Me: *Growls* Try me, Angel Boy.**

**Hahaa ;) So, drop me a review or something, please? Love you, my little Minions!**

**- TheGrandGiftOfSilence**


	2. Let's Get Wasted

**Hello, my gorgeous little Minions!**

**So I was genuinely surprised by the response to the first chapter of this fanfiction. It was just an idea that had been bugging me for a while, and I figured I could make something of it. It basically just started as a really fun, fast-paced fanfiction that I think kind of differs from my other two, which a whole lot more serious than this!**

**Things will start to get a bit more serious with this story, and I do have a good plot line for this, so thank you so much for reviewing if you have done so far!**

**And now, onto the story. I've kept you waiting long enough, my little Minions!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMI. But I wish I did even more now because the trailer is just *-*!**

**Chapter Songs:**

**(Scene 1+2) Weightless - All Time Low**

**(Scene 3) Do It Now, Remember It Later - Sleeping With Sirens**

* * *

_**"Maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year,  
And I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere.  
And this is my reaction, to everything I fear,  
'Cause I've been going crazy, I don't wanna waste another minute here."  
**Weightless - All Time Low_

* * *

When Izzy pulled up outside my house at ten to nine, I was sat nursing a hot chocolate on the sofa in my pajamas. Luke wasn't home yet and I was taking advantage of it. Not to mention the fact that I didn't really want to go out.

I took a sip of my drink as the front door burst open and Izzy walked into the living room five seconds later, looking ready to party and turning the full force of her glare on me. I'd dubbed it the Diva Glare.

I looked at her calmly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Do you have to ask?" she replied, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at me. "You're not even ready! It's a good job I decided to come early."

"Iz, you always come early and change my outfit anyway. What's the point in getting dressed?"

She dropped her hands and walked towards me, plopping herself down on the sofa and almost upsetting my drink. "That's not the reason," she replied, gesturing to my hot chocolate. "You never drink that stuff unless something's happened, and..." she sniffed, then smiled triumphantly. "I can smell the cinnamon in that from a mile away. So what's up?"

"Nothing gets past you anymore, does it?" I scowled, setting my mug down on the coffee table in front of us.

"Nope, not at all. Now spill."

I sighed and shook my head. Having Izzy as a best friend had its perks, but she was one for gossip and I had to give it to her. Which was okay, in some cases, but definitely not now.

"I saw Aline today."

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "Aline Penhallow? What's that bitch doing back in town?"

"Dating."

Izzy's other eyebrow joined the first. "Uh huh. Dating who, exactly?"

"An arrogant bastard, that's for sure," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Ah, so that's what's wrong. Your ex's cousin is dating an asshole who reminds you of said ex. I'm right, aren't I?"

I snapped my neck round to look at her. "Pair asshole with absolutely fricking gorgeous and you've got half the story right there."

Izzy stayed silent and waited for me to continue, unwilling to interrupt my inner turmoil. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and my forefinger and tipped my head back against the sofa, breathing deep. The truth was that the asshole really didn't have a lot to do with how I was feeling. You see, three months ago, after I caught Sebastian with that whore in Pandemonium, the family had left town. Not a Verlac or a Penhallow left in New York, and that was the way I liked it. It was the way I'd dealt with it and also something I'd gotten used to. But if Aline was back in town now...

"I think Sebastian's back in town too." I told Izzy, and her gaze became sympathetic.

"Yeah, I can see that being a possibility."

I rolled my eyes and leaned over to grab my hot chocolate between both hands, the warmth comforting on my chilled fingers. "Gee, thanks Iz. Way to make a girl feel better."

She shrugged, her black hair spilling over one shoulder. "Would you rather I lied to you? So what if the bastard's back in town; this gives you the chance to show him exactly what he's missing out on."

I swallowed some of my drink in a scalding gulp and made a face at Iz. "I don't know if I want to go out tonight, Iz. I think I might just sit this one out."

Izzy stood up abruptly then, pulling me up with her and almost making me spill hot chocolate all over the carpet. That wouldn't have gone down very well with Luke at all.

"Jesus Christ, Iz, give me some warning before you start ragging me around! I can at least get myself prepared for it then!"

Izzy flapped her hand impatiently and narrowed her dark eyes. "I'm sure you'll survive. But even if you did stain the cream carpet that Luke loves like a baby, you still wouldn't get out of coming tonight. Even if I have to strip you naked myself."

Izzy was right, but I couldn't help thinking what would happen if Sebastian was really back in town and turned up at Pandemonium tonight. It would be absolute torture for me if he was, and the facade I'd pulled up around who I really was would crack in an instant. There were chinks in my armour already from where Izzy had tried to get through a dozen times before, and seeing Sebastian would make the whole thing go from solid, impenetrable metal to water with one look.

But on the other hand, if I went and he was there, I could show him that him leaving me hadn't affected me at all. True, it had changed me, but he'd only have to see me from a distance. I wouldn't have to talk to him, and, to be honest, I'd enjoy treading our relationship into the mud. He deserved that much from me.

I shook my head with a sigh. "I don't think I can face it tonight, Iz. Can we just reschedule?"

She shook her head forcefully, her dark hair flying around her face. "Nope. No way in hell, C. There are people coming tonight who I really want you to meet, and I've got a special surprise for you too."

I groaned. "You've set me up a surprise at the one place in the world you know that I hate more than any other? You've got some serious balls, Iz."

"Still not taking no for an answer, C. You know I'm going to win anyway, so why don't we just cut to the chase already? I'm getting bored."

The thing about Iz was that she was the most impatient being on the planet, and that was without mentioning the fact that she would not leave without me tonight. She had her head set on a goal and she was determined to reach it, even if that did mean going against my wishes. Which it usually did. And I kind of wanted to go with some dignity if I had to go, instead of being dragged against my will. Hey, it's happened before.

And if Sebastian was going to be there, I was going to make damn sure I looked like the hottest girl in the world.

With an inward sigh, I lifted my mug up to my mouth and downed the rest of the hot chocolate with one gulp, swallowing loudly. Then, swiping my lips with the back of my hand, I raised an eyebrow at Izzy and spoke with the best sarcastic voice I could muster in my downtrodden state. "I think a night at Pandemonium sounds perfect, Iz. Maybe it's just what I need after all."

Izzy just smirked back boldly, her eyes flashing dark. "That's my girl."

_xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox_

By the time we got to Pandemonium, it was almost ten and getting darker outside by the second. We'd decided against driving; the area around the club was known for its bad reputation, and we had no idea how drunk we were going to get. Which was normally very drunk with a capital V. And a capital D.

"I'm not so sure about this, Izzy," I said, pulling my jacket tighter around my barely concealed body. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Izzy flicked her hair over one shoulder with irritation, her heels clacking against the pavement as she walked. "Look, Clary, you're never gonna get over him if you can't even face the place where everything ended. And the place where there are totally fit boys lurking around every corner!"

"Iz, you've dressed me up like a freaking _slut_!" I cried, my voice raising a couple of octaves. If there were any bats in the vicinity, then I had no doubt that they'd heard me. The dogs, too.

She waved an impatient hand, her bracelets clacking together down her arm. "You've modeled before; you should be used to it by now."

"I hate to remind you that I haven't modeled in over 6 months, Iz," I retorted, but kept my voice down to a mutter. The truth was, I actually did look amazing. And if Sebastian was in the club tonight, then I was going to show him exactly how I felt about him. In all the ways that were as bad as I could possibly be.

Izzy had somehow managed to squeeze me into a halter style dress that ended between my knee and mid-thigh. It crossed over my chest into a loop around my neck, leaving my arms completely bare and susceptible to the cold night air, and it was made out of some kind of black, shimmery material that felt like a second skin. But the heels she'd put me in left high at four inches, and my feet were killing me already.

I knew we were drawing close to Pandemonium as the music grew louder, so loud that the bass could be felt in the concrete. It became ten times louder as we rounded the corner a couple of minutes later, and I followed Izzy as she completely bypassed the queue. She handed me a piece of laminated paper, which I recognised vaguely as a V.I.P. pass in the dim light that came from the lit sign above the club.

I felt like I was going to upchuck my lunch right there on the side of the street.

I watched as Izzy flashed the bouncer her card and got the nod to go in, then she turned back to face me.

"You okay, C?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Just give me a minute and I'll meet you inside, okay?"

Izzy nodded sympathetically and retreated inside the club, and I sank back against the wall.

I wasn't lying when I said I didn't think I could do this tonight. Sure, Izzy probably had some of her modelling friends here that she wanted me to meet, but it just didn't seem worth it. If I was being completely honest with myself, then I had absolutely no idea how I was resisting the urge to turn around and run away right now. And how I managed to keep my lunch down, I didn't know.

"Need any help?"

The voice startled me and I jerked my head up, almost cracking the back of my skull on the brick behind me. When I saw the face, though, my own split into the biggest smile I could conjure.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lewis?"

He grinned back down at me and offered me his arm. "Nice seeing you Fray. But you'd probably look ten times better if you get out of the gutter."

I grabbed hold of his hand, letting him pull me up and into the best hug I'd received in a week. I buried my face in his chest and squeezed my arms around his neck, holding on tightly. He chuckled, his breath stirring the hair on top of my head.

"I've really missed you this week, Si," I said, holding him tighter.

"I've missed you too, Clary. But maybe you should let go of me if you're planning on keeping me around much longer."

I let go immediately and stepped back, sending a light punch into his shoulder. "You should have called me!"

"I know," Simon replied, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "I've been so busy this week, you wouldn't even believe me if I told you about it."

I smirked. "You've been playing Dungeons and Dragons again, haven't you?"

"Halo 4. You know what it's like," he replied, shrugging his shoulders, a movement which made his glasses slide to one side and sit askew on the edge of his nose.

I reached out and straightened them, almost having to stand on my tiptoes to do it. "I'm sure playing video games all day is the worst thing you could possibly do throughout the rest of your life," I said with a smile, linking my own arm through his.

He chuckled and placed his hand over mine. "Living the high life, Clary. You know me that well, at least."

"Living the high life at Pandemonium? What's the world coming to, Si?"

Simon shrugged lightly and grinned. "God knows. But Izzy wanted to surprise you so here I am, but only for one night. And oh yeah, surprise!"

Giggling, I tightened my arm, effectively locking our elbows together. Simon had been my closest friend for as long as I could remember, and he was the one person in the entire world who knew absolutely everything there was to know about me. He even knew more than Izzy did, and that was saying something.

But it was extremely rare that we got to spend time together anymore, and we'd had to settle for five minute phone calls at random intervals instead. It was less than what I got with Jon every week, and that was hard enough. Sometimes a girl needed her best friend and her big brother to protect her. Just like I did now, stood outside the club that had haunted my every thought for too long.

I needed Simon so much that it hurt me to think about going inside that club without him.

I shuddered involuntarily and glanced at the imposing wall surrounding the Dance Floor to Hell. The dance floor that held fond memories of drunk nights out and dancing on the edge, which were all trumped by that one image of Sebastian.

Simon glanced down at me curiously and squeezed my fingers. "Hey, Clary, are you okay?"

Looking up at him, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think."

"You're shaking."

So that was the trembling feeling that was making my knees knock together. At least I wasn't hallucinating; I was just going crazy instead.

Simon ran his hand up the length of my arm and cupped my chin, tilting my face up so I could see him clearly. "Are you sure you're ready for this? I know you haven't been here since... well, _him_, but we can turn around right now if that's what you want. All you have to do is say the word."

Is that what I wanted? To turn from the very place that had haunted my nightmares for so long? The idea seemed tempting, but it also felt like someone was offering me a 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card in a game of _Monopoly_. Unrealistic.

I stood up tall on my heels and tugged Simon towards the front doors, brandishing my V.I.P. pass as I did. "I'm not giving up on this, Simon," I told him, as the bouncer pulled open the door with a nod. "But just don't let me go, okay?"

Simon flashed the stamp on his hand and stumbled in after me, tripping on his own feet. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me around to face him in the doorway of the club. "Of course not, but if you don't feel up to it just let me know, okay?"

I smiled weakly at him. "You know what they say, Si. Do it now, remember it later."

_xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox_

The club was just as I remembered it; lit with strobe lights and packed with sweaty bodies grinding against each other on the dance floor. There was no room to move and barely enough room to breathe, and I felt like someone had stuffed cotton wool down my throat.

I'd been in the place for half an hour, avoiding the corner where I saw Sebastian on that oh-so-fateful night, and I'd already worked my way through 3 bottles of beer and four shots. By myself.

It was too dark to even try and find Izzy in the crowd, so Simon had wandered off to find her when we'd first walked in. I, on the other hand, hadn't even left the bar. And I wasn't planning on leaving it either.

"Clary!"

I jumped, my elbow knocking my next shot over the counter. God dammit.

"Seriously, Izzy, I was going to drink that!" I slurred, my voice slightly broken. But I wasn't drunk. It took a hell of a lot more to get me drunk; I'd been drinking with Izzy since we were old enough to go to senior parties at school.

Izzy hooked her arm around my neck and put her lips next to my ear. "Sorry, C, but I've been waiting for you to show up for over 30 minutes. Come and socialize for a change!"

"You wasted my shot to ask me to talk to people?" I shook my head in disbelief and swiveled round on the bar stool to face her, my bare legs sticking to the seat with sweat. Izzy still looked just as perfect as when she'd walked in.

"I'll buy you another one," she shouted over the music with an impatient flick of her hand towards the bar. "Just come with me, okay?"

I sighed and slid off the seat, slipping my hand into Izzy's so I wouldn't lose her through the crowd. "I swear you have a death wish for me."

Izzy grinned and jerked her head in the direction of the dance floor. "Come on, C, why would we wanna make the bastards wait? Besides, if Sebastian does come in, you need to show him exactly how much you couldn't give a shit and that you're having the best time of your life, you get me?"

She couldn't have said it in a more confusing way, but the girl must have had something to drink. And hey, so had I, so we were even. And I understood her perfectly.

"Alright, I get it. I'm coming!"

Izzy grinned at me and tugged on my arm, leading me through the mass of hormonal fire and to a line of booths along the wall. Every single one was packed with people; drunk ones, couples, teenagers that were too young to drink, the works. It was actually kind of sickening.

"There's someone you gotta meet, C," Izzy shouted in my ear. "He's my one of the boys I model with at work. You'll love him."

I rolled my eyes. "You better not be trying to set me up with someone again, Iz, it didn't work the last time."

She tugged me toward the last booth with a smile, then shoved me into the seat across from a very attractive brown-haired, blue-eyed man. Someone who looked like that could not be called a boy.

"Clary, this is Will."

I did nothing but sit there and smile at him awkwardly. I hadn't felt comfortable around strange boys for a while now, and the one I was sat in front of gave me no reason to talk to him. Or shout at him either, which was good.

Izzy flicked her hair back over her shoulder and fluttered her hands at me. "Well, you two talk and I'll be back in a minute. I gotta find Simon."

I watched her walk away and narrowed my eyes at her back. I was certain I'd told her not to try and set me up with anyone, and this wasn't exactly the subtle way of doing what I didn't want her to. I didn't even think that Izzy knew the meaning of the word.

"So you must be the famous Clary Garroway."

I started and whipped my head around to face Will. I'd been so caught up in planning Izzy's murder that I'd forgotten he was there, and I felt my cheeks flush bright red.

"Yeah, that's me alright," I replied with an apologetic smile. The music was quieter over here, so I could hear Will clearly over the music without him having to shout at me, which also meant that I didn't have to lean over the table and flash anything at him, if you get what I mean.

He grinned and rested his arms on the table, rolling a bottle of beer between his hands. "How come you don't work for Luke anymore then?"

I shrugged. "We're not exactly in the top ten for father-daughter relationships in New York."

He nodded knowingly. "I get that."

"You have a bad relationship with your Dad too?"

Will chuckled and took a swig of his beer before setting it back on the table and folding his arms across his chest. "No, I'm fine with my Dad. It's more of a sibling problem."

"Ah, I can relate to that. Although my brother isn't really that much of an asshole and I actually manage to get on with him." I paused, twisting a lock of hair around my finger. "Well, most of the time anyway."

"Mine used to be all right, until he got into high school. His high popularity level was instantaneous and he played the girls against one another before breaking their hearts. And that's the girls in every year, not just his own."

I laughed and hooked my hands under the table. "So a total player then, yes?"

Grinning, Will replied, "I guess you could say that. Although ten times worse."

My smile faltered, and I tried my best to pick it back up again although I was sure it looked false. He'd described Sebastian in a few words, and it made me upset to think that I still didn't understand why he'd done it in the first place. At least he wasn't the only player out there; the world is crawling with them, and if the sluts want them then there are probably enough to share.

Will was looking at me intently, and I shook my head to clear any nasty thoughts about Sebastian. "Sorry, I think I kind of spaced out for a minute."

"You do that a lot, huh?"

I held out my arms in a shrug. "What can I say, I'm an artist. It's allowed from my perspective."

Will raised an eyebrow. "So what does that mean for me then, considering I'm a model?"

"God knows. I'd have to study you first, but I'd say that, based on experience, you're an expert with the good guy look," I voiced, pursing my lips in thought.

He laughed and leaned back in his seat. "What 'good guy look'!?"

"That one!" I replied, laughing along with him.

I actually felt really good. It was the first time I'd had a proper conversation with a boy since Sebastian. Well, apart from Simon, but he didn't count. And neither did the guy in the coffee shop, in my opinion. And I didn't feel awkward either. It was nice to think that this actually wasn't the end for me.

We were still laughing and joking when Izzy came back and plopped in the seat next to me, Simon and two others that I didn't recognise following close behind her. Will had finished the rest of his beer and had ordered us both another one, which were half empty on the table in front of us. Which meant that Izzy had been gone for about half an hour and I felt strangely okay with it.

"Hey, sorry we were gone for so long," Izzy said, fanning her face with her hand. "Simon decided he wanted to play hide and seek in a sweaty night club, so it took me a while to find him."

Simon snorted and raised an eyebrow incredulously at Izzy, folding his arms as he did. "Don't be blaming all this on me! You were the one flirting with the bartender like hell would freeze over if you didn't!"

"It was just talking, Si! Jesus, calm down will you? I was just having some fun with the guy."

Uh oh. When Izzy had fun it was more like evoking feelings in said person and then dropping them like they're nothing more than dust. That poor guy.

"Talking again, Iz?" Will said, rolling his eyes at me. "You could talk for America if you were given the chance."

Izzy stuck her middle finger up at Will and I laughed at the both of them. I felt like I was back in kindergarten with all the childish behavior I'd witnessed since I'd first sat down with Will. And that wasn't counting the laughing, which there was a lot of.

"Oh, C, your surprise is here!"

Izzy squirmed in her seat with excitement and I let my head fall onto the table, probably bruising my forehead as I did. "Simon said he was the surprise!" Ah, hell. Simon had said it, which meant there was something more to come. It always meant Izzy had planned something else if she didn't announce it first. Damn my brain for not registering that earlier on.

"Nahh, Simon was just half of it. The other half is what is more important."

I lifted my head off the table and glared at Iz. "I swear that I will kill you one day."

I heard Will chuckle in the background and Izzy just shook her head impatiently. "We can pinkie promise on that later, okay? Now please can you ju-"

"Maybe it's better if we take it from here, Isabelle."

I looked up, startled. More startled that someone had called Izzy by her full name, and there were only two people in the world that called her that. Her Mom, and...

"Magnus!" I squealed, jumping up and hoisting myself over the table to launch myself at Magnus. I felt him vibrate with laughter as he wrapped his arms around me tightly in a hug, and I smiled into his shoulder.

I hadn't seen Magnus in over 6 months, at my last modelling shoot. He was the makeup artist for Luke's models, and he was easily one of the best at it too. He was tall, thin, and had sparkling green cat's eyes that were rarely sad. Oh, and he was flamboyantly gay. You could see the glitter in his hair and on his outfit from at least a mile away, and his fashionable bright clothing helped too. The reason why I loved him so much was because he just didn't care what people thought about him or said about him. He was Magnus, plain and simple.

He detached himself from me and grabbed my shoulders, pushing me away so he could look at me. "You look good, Clary. Not as good as when I dress you, but Isabelle did a good enough job. Next time it's my turn," he said with a wink.

"Where have you been, Magnus?" I asked, smacking his arm playfully. "I've missed you!"

"Work keeps me busy. Alec keeps me busy too, of course. I'll tell you all about it if you want, I'm sure you want to hear everything," he said with a smirk, and I made fake gagging noises with a smile.

"Yeah, speaking of Alec, he's right here you know."

I turned round and grinned at Alec before throwing my arms around his neck to give him a hug. "Sorry, Alec, got a bit caught up in the moment there," I said with my face buried in his neck.

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, don't get so caught up with Magnus in the future. You'll never know where you'll end up."

Alec was Isabelle's brother and Magnus' boyfriend. If you picture Magnus as day and Alec as night, you'll get what they are as a couple. Two totally different, contrasting people that go together better than any other couple I'd ever met. Alec was also tall ans thin, but he had blue eyes, black hair and rarely wore colour unless he was forced to. It was the way he was and no one bothered to try and change it for him.

I glanced around the booth behind me, where Magnus and Simon were seated with Will and Izzy, and then I smiled up at Alec. This was where I belonged, and I wasn't sure why it had took me over 6 months to get back here. I'd been through a lot, sure, but I never thought I'd be happy to see anyone from my old life ever again.

I released Alec and mouthed a quick 'thank you' at Izzy, who waved it off with a grin of her own.

"Right," Magnus said, clapping his hands together and rubbing the palms of them together. "Who's round is it first?"

Will grinned. "Shots, Magnus? You've just got here!"

Magnus shrugged. "Waste no time, my friend. If there is alcohol, then I am going to have it."

Izzy slapped a ten dollar bill on the table and smirked devilishly. "I'm in, first round. Who's joining?"

There were hoots of agreement from everyone except me and Simon, who glanced at me nervously. I knew he didn't like drinking, so I assumed he wouldn't join in unless Izzy pressured him to do it.

I held back for a different reason. If Sebastian came through that night, then I wanted to be sober so I could remember everything I did in front of him to show him he meant nothing to me. On the other hand, though, maybe it was better if I was drunk. Then I wouldn't regret anything if I couldn't remember it in the morning.

I looked back at the table to see everyone staring at me expectantly, waiting for my answer, and I nodded quickly without thinking about what could happen. "I'm in."

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Magnus grinned, placing his hands flat on the table. "Let's get wasted."

* * *

**So that's Chapter two! :D**

**Well what do we think my little Minions? Sorry for the lack of Jace in this chapter, but if all goes to plan then he will be in the next one ;)**

**So this Chapter was basically one to get the story ball rolling. Next chapter it will get very interesting and it should be up soon, hopefully anyway. If school decides to stay calm, then yeah :)**

**Again, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner than this. You would not believe the time I have had, even if I told you all everything that's happened since I got back to school. Just...ugh.**

**Jace: There was no me.**

**Me: Calm down, there will be more of you.**

**Jace: And my abs, yes?**

**Clary: Jesus Christ, Jace, leave the poor girl alone!**

**Me: There will be, yes.**

**Clary: You'll make him even more big-headed.**

**Jace: Clary, be quiet, I need to know what's happening.**

**Me: His head can't get any bigger can it?**

**Clary&Jace: Yes.**

**So you know what to do my gorgeous little Minions! Favourite, alert it, and drop me a review!**

**- TheGrandGiftOfSilence**


	3. Traitors and Assholes

**Hello my gorgeous little Minions!**

**God, I freaking love you guys, you know that right? Over 50 Followers? Wow! You all seem to be extremely supportive of my story and a quick thank you to everyone who favourited, reviewed and saved it to their alerts! :)**

**I did have someone review that there was a set height for models and that four inches is quite short for a pair of heels, so it might need some clarifying about what I mean for some of you other guys as well. Basically Clary gets to model because Luke works as an agent, so it's not that she gets the job based on height. And also, for someone as short as Clary, four inch heels would be quite high. Trust me, this is coming from a girl with quite a bit of experience about being** **short.**

**BTW, I'm sorry for any mistakes. This story is not beta'd.**

**Explanations at the bottom, yeah?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments, or Will, or Jace. Unfortunately.**

**And now, onto the story :)**

**Chapter Song: **

**Born For This - Paramore**

* * *

_**'Oh no, I just keep on falling,  
Back to the same old,  
And where's hope when misery comes crawling?  
Oh my way-ay.  
With your faith you'll trigger a landslide,  
**_**_And kill off this common sense of mine.'_  
**_Born For This - Paramore_

* * *

When I woke up in the morning I found myself in Izzy's double bed at her apartment. She was sprawled across most of the mattress, which left me with the little slither at the edge, and I was almost certain that I would fall if I moved. Izzy took up so much room that I only ever slept at hers as a last resort; I much preferred my own bed to being terrified of falling off the edge.

At least I kept a pair of my own pajamas there. Otherwise I would have had three other choices which all sucked: a) Sleep in my own sweaty club clothes, b) sleep naked, or c) borrow one of Izzy's extremely revealing nightgowns.

I would rather sleep naked then borrow Izzy's cloths, trust me. Most of the time I couldn't tell the difference between her lingerie and a dress.

I could hardly remember the events of last night at all, but surprisingly I didn't have that big of a hangover. However, my limbs were sore from dancing most of the night and my throat was completely dry. I blamed most of that on the large amount of alcohol - mainly tequila - that Magnus had practically forced down my throat. Well, not really, but it seemed better to pin the blame for my intoxication on someone else, rather than myself. And, quite honestly, I didn't think Magnus would mind. He would be proud of it, if anything.

It wasn't like I hadn't been drunk in a while; Izzy persuaded me to go clubbing every weekend, at the very least. I could hold my alcohol a lot better than others could and I rarely got hangovers unless we were drinking for a legitimate reason to go 'all out'. However, last night had been the first night in three months that I'd ingested tequila, and it had done crazy things to my head. But I was sure I was nowhere near as bad as Izzy would be when she woke up.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to picture what happened last night. Vaguely, I remembered dancing with Izzy to a few cheesy tracks that the DJ had played, and I was pretty certain that I'd danced with Will at some point aswell. It wasn't like that bothered me though; at least it was someone I'd only just met compared to a stranger.

Better Will than Sebastian, for sure.

At least Sebastian hadn't been at the club. I probably would have done something stupid in my drunken state, and Izzy sure as hell wouldn't have done anything at all to stop me.

If anyone stood taking pictures during a fight, it would definitely be Izzy.

It was then that Izzy decided to roll over, successfully pushing me onto the floor.

"God dammit, Izzy!" I shouted as I held my head where it was pounding from its impact with the floor. Who has a hard wood floor in their bedroom anyway? "Wake up before I climb on you and smother you with a pillow!"

Izzy groaned and turned over so I could see her face from my place on the floor. "Shut up, C, there are people with hangovers in this house."

I rolled my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows. "By people you mean you," I replied, gesturing towards her. "But there are also people who have been pushed off a comfy bed because their hungover friend decided that it was a good idea to roll over."

"So that's why you're on the floor," Izzy whispered, wincing, and I rolled my eyes again. She was such a drama queen.

"Well I didn't exactly push myself, did I?" I said, climbing to my feet. "Anyway, how much did you have to drink last night? Last I remember we were pretty equal, and you were still upright, at least."

Izzy moved over and I sat down, crossing my legs. "Well?" I asked with a grin, poking Izzy in the side.

She flinched and frowned, opening one of her dark eyes to look at me. "I dunno, actually. I don't remember much of last night at all, C."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why do you say that like it surprises you? You end up like this every week!"

"Can you stop talking so loud, please? I'll throw up on you," Izzy threatened, and I laughed.

"Sure you will," I said, still laughing. "If only you had the guts."

"Ugh," she groaned, swinging her arm round to try and hit me, but her fist thumped the soft mattress instead. "What time is it?"

I glanced at the clock on Izzy's bedside table. "It's almost nine," I told her with a grin. "Are you wondering how much more time you have in bed? Because I'm not gonna let you go back to sleep."

Izzy didn't answer, but when I'd told her the time her eyes had snapped open. "What day is it?" she asked, almost as if I hadn't spoken. I rolled my eyes.

"It's Saturday, Iz," I said, shaking my head. "I was certain that you'd remem-"

"CRAP! Ah, shit!" Izzy shouted, bolting up in the bed and clutching her head as she did.

"Jesus Christ, Izzy!" I said, holding a hand to my chest. "You scared the life out of me! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Izzy shook her head quickly. "I've got a shoot in an hour," she moaned, like it was the most important thing in the world.

I raised my eyebrows. "So? You have an hour to get ready and get there, how hard can it be? Magnus is just gonna change you when you get there anyway."

"No, you don't get it, C. I've got _the_ shoot today. It's the last chance for me to get some pictures taken to put in my portfolio; this could be the most important thing in my career!"

I felt my mouth flop open in shock and made an effort to shut it again. "Are you kidding? And you took us out drinking last night? By the _Angel_, Izzy, I swear to God you have the worst ideas in the world sometimes!"

"I know, I know," she moaned. "God, Luke is gonna kill me and so is Magnus and -"

"Izzy, snap out of it!" I half yelled, watching Izzy as she panicked. "It's easy, we'll just get you some aspirin and some water and get you down to the studio on time, no big - "

Izzy cut me off with a gasp and lurched off the bed, half running and half limping to the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her. I winced as I heard the sound of her vomiting into the toilet. I could do blood; it was a normal colour and didn't really smell of anything. But sick I just couldn't look at.

Gingerly, I slid off the bed and walked across the floor to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Iz? Izzy, I really don't think you should go to work today, okay? I'll talk to Luke and see what he can do, he'll probably be able to change the date -"

Again, Izzy cut me off by opening the bathroom door. I really hated it when people didn't let me finish my sentences. I mean, it was just plain rude, and, hungover or not, it was already the second time that Izzy had cut me off that morning.

She was lucky she was hungover, otherwise I probably would have smacked her.

Hey, I've done it before. Although the first time I hit her in the boob and that's easily one of the worst places to get hit when you're a woman; it really _hurts _but at least she didn't have testicles because that would have hurt worse and -

Okay, I'll stop thinking now.

I focused my attention back on Izzy, who was stood in the doorway with her toothbrush in one hand and the other holding the door frame to steady herself. I had to crane my neck upwards slightly to look at her face, but it wasn't so bad since she was barefoot and at her regular height of 5"9'.

I almost flinched when I looked at her face. She was sickly pale and there were dark shadows underneath her eyes from our late night out. Her dark hair was a complete mess and frizzed around her face, making her cheeks look hollow against the light of the morning. It didn't make her look unpretty though; there was probably nothing on earth that could make that happen.

The reason I almost flinched though, was the expression on Izzy's face. Her dark eyes were bright with excitement and the corners of her lips were turned up in a grin, like she'd either suddenly had an epiphany or, even worse, a '_eureka_' moment.

Oh, no.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked warily, taking a step back from her with my hands held out in front of me."It's creepy as hell, Iz."

"You can do it!" Izzy said, her grin getting impossibly wider.

"Do what?" I replied. "Flush the toilet for you, seen as you so obviously can't do it yourself?

Izzy waved her hand impatiently, flicking toothpaste everywhere. "No, the shoot, you dumbass! You can do the shoot for me!"

I blinked at her. Once, twice, three times. Then I burst out laughing, leaning heavily on my knees in an effort to remain upright and spoke through the laughter. "Oh, that's rich, Iz. Good joke, okay? I almost believed you were being serious for a minute. Now come on, get dressed and tie your hair up and let's get outta' here, okay?"

I straightened up after the chuckles had faded and looked back at Izzy, who hadn't moved a muscle. "I wasn't kidding, C," she said, still grinning. "It could really get you back in the business!"

I felt the laughter drain from my face in a _whoosh_. "Okay, let's just be serious for a moment." I pointed at her. "_You_ have a very important shoot today, whilst _I_," I turned the finger on myself, "Have an important date with my bed. I may not be as bad as you, but I do still have a hangover." I pointed to my head for emphasis. "Now quit messing around and let's get going, otherwise you will be late!"

"Dammit, C," Izzy said, rolling her eyes. "I'm being completely serious!"

I looked at her familiar face, one I'd known for most of my life. We'd been through middle school and high school together, and I could always tell her facial expressions apart. Especially the one where she was joking.

She wasn't joking now, that was clear.

I dropped my hand. "Are you insane?" I said incredulously. "There is no way in hell you're going to get me to do a shoot for you, Izzy!"

"It's just one shoot!" she replied. "Just do this one for me then I'll never make you do anything again, I swear."

I snorted. "Yeah, we both know that isn't true." She rolled her eyes and I mirrored her before crossing my arms over my chest. "Besides, weren't you the one telling me that this is an 'important shoot' and the 'last chance to fill your portfolio'?"

Izzy reached her hand into her pajama pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Who sleeps with their phone in their pocket? "My portfolio can wait. This shoot, however, can't. So you are going to get your butt into some clean clothes and head on over to the studio because your best friend is sick and hungover and you're just so nice like that." She grinned and tapped away on her cell phone with one hand, still holding her toothbrush in the other.

"I haven't done a shoot in over a year, Izzy! There's something seriously wrong with you if you think I'm just going to get up and do one now!"

"Do you have to go to Uni today?" she asked abruptly, keeping her eyes glued to her phone screen.

I stared at her. "Uh, no, it's Saturday," I pointed out in my best matter-of-fact voice. "Who the hell has Uni on a Saturday?"

Izzy ignored my sarcasm and looked up, dropping the arm holding her phone next to her side and hiding the screen from me. I scowled at her, the perfect opposite of the grin on Izzy's face. "So you don't have Uni and you're on top of all your assignments," she said, her eyes glittering. "You're basically telling me that you've got nothing to lose by doing this, Clary!"

I threw up my hands. Yes, I knew that I was acting like a child, but Izzy was stubborn as hell and, if I was being completely honest, I couldn't see a way out of doing this damn shoot. So, in a desperate and, quite frankly, pathetic last attempt, I said, "How do you know I don't have any assignments?"

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "I know everything about you. And, if I have to check, I could always just ring Jon or Simon. I'm sure that they'd know, too."

She had me there. Even if she did ring Jon and he didn't know, Simon most definitely would. And he wouldn't hesitate to tell the girl anything if she asked.

Sighing, I moved a few steps back and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Fine, fine, I'll do it. But you owe me, big time!"

Izzy whooped and pointed her toothbrush at me. "I knew you'd do it, C. Now come on, get dressed!"

I stayed quiet and looked down at the stupid hard wood floor, at least the part of it I could see beneath my feet, considering the rest of it was completely covered in forgotten clothes.

I was honest with what I said before. I hadn't done a shoot for over a year, and I had no particular desire to do one now. The only reason I'd ever gotten a shoot in the first place was because Luke had been able to get me one. I wasn't tall, and I wasn't excessively pretty, but Luke would have done anything for my Mom and getting me a shoot was one of the things she'd wanted to see before she... well, yeah.

My Mom hadn't been a model. She'd been an artist, had her paintings up in exhibitions and art galleries for the whole world to see. But, even though I'd always wanted to follow in her footsteps and create things just as beautiful as she did, she'd always been adamant about me becoming a model. I'd never really understood why, either.

But, despite the fact that I was nowhere near tall enough, more people wanted me to do shoots after the first one. And I did, because it kept my Mom happy.

Over the course of that year I'd probably been involved in around 15 brands and I'd done a total of 63 shoots.

And then life swooped in, fucked everything up and I swore I would never do another shoot again.

God damn Izzy for making me go through this.

"Clary," she said now, and I glanced up at her face. She'd moved to stand right in front of me and, even though her eyes were still bright, her expression had turned into one of concern. "She would have wanted this for you, you know that, right?"

I nodded weakly. "Yeah, I know, but I'd rather not talk about that. Just please tell me it's a single shoot."

"Err, no," Izzy replied, and I shot her a look. "It's with two guys, I think."

"Two?" I replied incredulously.

She laughed but stopped when I 'upped' the force of my glare. "Don't panic, C, Jesus," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's with Will and some other dude, okay?"

"You mean Will who was at the club last night?" I asked, relieved. At least I knew one of them, otherwise it would just be plain awkward.

"Yep, that would be the one." She patted my knee with a grin. "Now, come on. You've got about twelve minutes to shower and change."

I tried to raise an eyebrow at her but failed miserably and raised both of them instead. "Twelve minutes? I thought you said the shoot was in an hour."

"It is, but I texted Will to come and pick you up three minutes ago, and he said he'd be here in fifteen. So you technically have twelve minutes."

"But I hadn't even said yes three minutes ago..." I trailed off, remembering Izzy's look of concentration as she tapped at her phone with one hand. "God dammit, Iz! You were going to make me go anyway, weren't you?"

Izzy started walking backwards to the bathroom with a smirk. "Yeah, of course! You're my best friend; there's no way in hell you would say no."

I growled at her and jumped up from the bed, swiping up a pillow as I did. "And what if I had said no?"

She grinned. "Will would have come anyway, and you would have had no choice." She looked down at her hand and started when she saw the toothbrush clutched between her fingers. "How long have I been holding this?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Izzy just laughed, shouted, "Eleven minutes, C!" and then shut the bathroom door as I launched the pillow at it, watching as it hit the wood with a very unsatisfying thump.

_xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox_

Fifteen minutes later I was stood outside on the street, waiting for Will to pick me up. My hair was still wet and the wind blew it around my face in a hectic red whirlwind, sticking to my forehead and cheeks.

I'd pretty much just showered and threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie; Izzy had assured me that Magnus would be the stylist and he would completely change my look anyway, no matter what I did with my hair, plus the clothes were a given anyway.

I shook my head and scowled at the path, scuffing the toes of my old worn Converse against the concrete. I still wasn't entirely sure what had possessed me to agreeing with this, but I couldn't see a way out of it now.

Damn Izzy. Damn her and her persuasive, best friend status in my life.

My phone buzzed in my pocked and I pulled it out, hitting the 'accept call' button and placing it against my ear.

"Simon, to what do I owe this pleasure at such a time in the morning?"

"Did you even look at the caller ID, Clary?" Simon answered with a question, and I smiled despite my black mood. "I swear you're the only person who can do that."

"It's just instinct, Si," I replied, the smile slipping from my face. "What's up, anyway?"

"Well, I finally managed to find some time off from work," he said eagerly, and I could almost see him bouncing up and down in his seat like an over-excited puppy. "So I thought we could meet up at Java Jones at around one? We don't really see each other enough any more, Clare."

The conversation was so similar to the one I'd had yesterday with Jon, but it didn't even strike me as odd. Jon and Simon were the two people in the world who, with the exception of Izzy, knew more about me than anyone else did.

And, to be honest, it was nice to be able to get these moments.

God knows I needed one today.

"Sure, Si, that sounds great. I've got some stuff to do, but I'll text you later?"

"Yeah okay, I gotta go anyway. My boss is scowling at me and pretty much looks like he's going to launch himself at me over the desk and throttle me with his tie."

I chuckled. "Has he been giving you too many adventure stories to play again, Si?"

"Stop blaming my awesome personality on video games, Clary! Just because they are the bane of my existence and I can beat anyone blindfolded at every single game invented."

I snorted. "Yeah, sure, Si. You say that and yet you've never managed to beat me playing C.O.D."

Simon spluttered and I laughed, watching as a sleek silver car rounded the corner and stopped in front of me. Will sat in the driver's seat, a playful smile etched on his face, almost identical to the one he wore last night.

"I'll let you get back to work, Si," I said, directing a half-wave at Will. "I'll text you later."

"Sure, Clary," he replied. "Bye."

I hung up and stuffed my phone back into my pocket, then walked to the car and let myself in the passenger side of the car.

"Well, well," Will said as I climbed in and shut the door behind me. "If it isn't Clary Garroway. I didn't think I'd be seeing you this soon again."

"Hi Will, uh," I paused as I clicked my seat belt in. "Uh, turns out I don't know your last name. Looks like you're just Will."

He grinned. "Herondale. Oh, by the way, Izzy warned me that you might need this," he said as he passed me a take-out Starbucks coffee. I grabbed it eagerly and took the lid off to inhale the sweet, sweet scent of coffee in the morning. It's possible that I even moaned.

"Did you just moan?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

So I did then. "Yes I did. Coffee in the morning is like heaven for me and if I don't get it then I'd be cranky all day. I'm guessing Izzy sent you the text as a warning."

Will chuckled and started the car. "That sounds likely. You ready to go?"

Sighing, I took a sip of my coffee and glanced sideways at Will. "Nope, but you're going to take me anyway. Onward, my steed."

He laughed and pulled out into the morning traffic. "Are you always like this?"

"Pretty much. Although I can't really promise that my 'oh-so-good' mood won't go downhill today. I can give you a glimpse, if you'd like."

"Uh, I think I'll pass. If you're gonna be mad later, I might not be able to handle it."

I banged my head against the window and groaned as Will laughed. "Good answer, Will. Perfect fricking answer."

_xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox_

When we got to the studio, there were only three other cars in the lot. One I recognised as Magnus' metallic pink Ford and another as Luke's black BMW. The other, I assumed, was the other guy who was doing the shoot, and whoever he was had a nice taste in cars. I'd always wanted a Porsche.

I climbed out the car and tipped the last remaining dregs of my coffee into my mouth as I glared apprehensively at the all-too-familiar studio. It didn't feel welcoming, but it didn't feel strange to be back either. I hadn't missed the place, that was for sure, but standing in front of it now made something pull in my mind, bringing up forgotten memories.

I blinked twice and shook my head, then turned to look at Will as he locked the car and came to stand next to me.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, gesturing towards the studio with his keys still in hand. "Are you scared?"

I snorted and started walking to the door, ripping the coffee cup apart with my fingers. "Not scared, no," I said, assuming he was behind me. "How would you feel if someone made you come back to a place that you'd made a habit of forgetting about?"

There was a pause, and then Will replied, "Yeah, I see your point. I guess it's pretty hard, huh?"

We reached the door and I kept shredding the now mangled mass of cardboard meticulously as Will pushed it open, gesturing me inside first.

"It's not hard, either," I said, answering his question as I stepped inside.

The hallway hadn't changed. It still had the same white carpet and white walls, on which hung old photos of forgotten shoots as well as some new ones. The old, faded leather sofa still sat in the corner with the same coffee table in front of it, which held a stack of updated magazines. There were two doors leading off the room; one I remembered went to the dressing rooms where Magnus worked his magic and the other to the actual studio where the photographs were taken by Alec.

"I'm gonna go and find Luke, okay?" Will said, and I gave him an affirming nod. I watched him as he left the room and then turned my gaze back to the pictures on the walls, studying them.

There were a few of Izzy, posing in dresses and lingerie with her hair in different styles. My eyes lingered on one of her with a man kissing her neck as she looked at the camera with a hazed lust and a slight underlay of boredom. I grinned, knowing that I was probably the only person in the world that could see that, and moved my gaze to the man. His golden blonde hair curled at the nape of his neck and on his temples, and the only eye I could see was closed.

He reminded me, strangely, of the jackass in Java Jones that I'd had the absolute pleasure of meeting the day before (notice my sarcasm) and I shrugged, turning away from the picture.

I didn't need to dwell on thoughts of jackasses.

As I turned, I caught sight of another photo sat above the sofa and started, the shredded cardboard slipping out my hands.

I'd pick it up later, obviously, but I was way too shocked to care about the mess. I was pretty sure that my eyes were wide and my mouth was open, too.

The photo was of me, my last shoot before I'd packed in modelling all together. It was for some designer clothes brand that wanted to promote their new range of dresses, and they'd decided that I was to do the shoot on a balcony overlooking the city with Luke's approval. In the photo I was stood with my back to the evening sky, my hands spread at both sides of my body and gripping onto the railing. The brand had given me a very stylish tight, strapless green dress covered in silver detail on the torso. It hugged my waist and from there it flowed freely with a net overlay and ended just above my knees. The silver strappy heels made me look about five inches taller, and I snorted, remembering Magnus trying to coax me into wearing them until I finally gave in.

I let my eyes wander to my face in the photo, and instantly saw the passion that was so easy to fake during a shoot. My eyes were a brighter green, highlighted by the darker colour of the dress and the red of my loosely curled hair.

I remembered the shoot like it was yesterday, remembered Sebastian coming in halfway and his eyes widening, drinking me in as I posed in front of the skyline and teased him. I remembered Luke talking on the phone and overseeing the shoot with a look of silent approval, remembered Alec suggesting ways to stand as he took photos from all angles.

Most of all, the photo reminded me of my Mom, sitting as she watched the shoot with pride and happiness radiating from her, despite the sickness that was eating away at her insides.

I blinked and swallowed hard against the torrent of tears that wanted to push themselves out of me. Blindly, the water clouding my vision, I reached out with my hand to touch the glass frame of the photo to see if it would help me remember my Mom more clearly, but as my finger came into contact with it someone cleared their throat behind me and I jumped, pulling my hand back hastily.

I looked over my shoulder at Luke, who was stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a familiar impatience etched on his face. Will stood just behind him, his eyes regarding me with concern and his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his dark jeans.

"You kept it," I blurted out before either of them could speak, turning my attention back to the photo.

"Of course we did. Your Mother was adamant that the photo remained here, and I always respected her wishes. So it's here."

I squeezed my eyes together tightly when Luke mentioned my Mom and curled my hands into fists at my sides. I would not cry in front of Luke, no matter how bad it was.

Will must have sensed something from my stance, because the next thing I felt was his hand on my shoulder and his breath at my ear.

"You know, I prepared myself for a bad mood," he said jokingly, and I snorted. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied, opening my eyes and looking at Will. "Just peachy."

Will smiled slightly, but I could still see the concern etched in his eyes. Despite my mood, I wanted to roll my eyes at him because I was a big girl and i could take care of myself, but it was really sweet of him to be worried about me, so instead I just shook my head at him and shrugged his hand off my shoulder before turning around to look at my oh-so-loving Father, swiping at my eyes as discreetly as I could to make sure that there were no tears.

Luke was watching me, his head cocked slightly to one side with a crease between his eyebrows that had developed because he frowned so much. Mainly the frowns were directed at me, but it wasn't my fault that he couldn't see the funny side of, well, anything to be honest.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Luke said, his voice soft, and I blinked in surprise, clearing away the last of the burn in the back of my eyelids. It was like I was seeing my Father in front of me and not my ex-Agent, which was so rare to see it was almost extinct, and all I wanted to do was roll my eyes at him like I'd wanted to at Will just ten seconds before.

I shrugged and looked at him impassively, managing to refrain from the eye-rolling. "Can we just get this over with?"

In a second, Luke the Agent was back, and I sighed inwardly. I knew it wouldn't last long anyway.

"Right," he said briskly, his stance becoming more rigid, and this time I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at him. He narrowed his own and continued. "The shoot is for a new perfume and cologne that is being released by a brand new fragrance company called _Nephilim_ next month. They're releasing three of them, two for men and one for women, and they want this shoot to be based on their names."

He paused and I nodded once to show that I understood, and from the corner of my eye I watched Will do the same was what Luke expected from all of his models, and it wasn't worth it enough to see Angry Agent Luke by defying his wishes, that was for sure.

"Each of you will be representing one of the fragrances. Magnus is waiting for you, Clary, and Camille is waiting for Will. I think Kaelie has already finished with Jonathan, as he arrived here early. James will be waiting to brief all three of you when you are ready." He stopped again, and I watched the ghost of a smile flit across his mouth as he looked at Will. "Jonathan seems to be quite frustrated this morning, Will. Please, try and keep your brother-" Luke cut off and frowned, then pulled his phone out of his suit pocket and raised it up to his ear.

"Luke Garroway speaking... Ah, Maryse, I've been expecting your call all morning... Yes, tell me the figures..."

Luke glanced at me and Will as he spoke and moved away from the door, gesturing for us to go through with an impatient look in his eyes. I glanced at Will and raised my eyebrows, and he grinned back before sweeping his arm in front of him in a grand gesture to let me go first. I snickered at his poor attempt of gentlemanly behavior and dipped into a shallow curtsy with a smile, and he just laughed at me.

Then I stepped forward and scooped up the destroyed coffee cup from the floor before brushing my way past Luke, Will following close behind me as I made my way into the hellish depths of my old life, desperately trying to piece together my frayed nerves in anticipation of the shoot to come.

_xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox_

"Ow, Magnus! Can you just stop for a second, please?"

Magnus tutted as he dragged the brush through my tangled locks again and I hissed in pain. "Clary, dear, has no one ever told you that beauty comes at a price?"

"You tell me that frequently, Magnus," I replied, wincing as he pulled the brush through my hair again. "But you never said the price was pain."

Magnus smiled at me in the mirror, his eyes glittering. "Honey, please. There is so much pain involved to look this good."

I rolled my eyes at him and looked down at my hands, refusing to look at myself in the reflective glass. Magnus had done wonders with my makeup, but it was just too painful for me to remember the past times I'd been through the same treatment, times when I actually looked forward to getting on set and modelling with passion.

Fidgeting in my seat, I glanced up and sighed at my made-up face. Magnus had gone with some really simple grey eye-shadow, black eyeliner and mascara. For a minimalist look, he'd said. "After all, you have to look pure for the perfume you're representing. Angelic, you know?"

I'd been sitting in front of the mirror for almost twenty-five minutes as Magnus inflicted his methods of torture on my hair and face. After he'd finished with my make-up, he'd moved on to drying my hair and then curling it slightly to make it look relaxed and natural. Now there was just the matter of getting the tangles out of it, and there was a hell of a lot of pain involved.

"Hey, Magnus?" I asked, my brain clicking as I thought about the outfit. "The dress is gonna fit me, right? I mean, you didn't really have chance to get something that's going to fit me."

Magnus snorted and caught my eyes again before turning his attention back to my hair. "Of course it's going to fit you, Clare. We weren't going to order one that wasn't going to fit you, otherwise you'd look like a whore on set." He chuckled slightly, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, well that's good, because I was kinda worrying about that since-" I cut off abruptly, and I felt my mouth drop open. "Magnus," I said, deathly quiet, and there must have been something there because he immediately stopped his relentless tugging on my hair. "Why did you order a dress in my size before you knew I was doing the shoot?"

"Why wouldn't we?" he said, putting the brush down and fluffing out my hair with his fingers.

"Because I thought that this was supposed to be Izzy's extremely important portfolio shoot, and the dress was supposed to be hers."

Magnus mumbled something that sounded a lot like "fucking hell, Izzy," and then turned the chair round so that I was facing him. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

I crossed my arms, giving him the best death glare I could. "Tell me what?"

He sighed and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Clare, the people at _Nephilim_ wanted you to be their model. Luke said that when the sales manager had come round here, he'd seen the photo of you in the foyer and instantly wanted you to do the shoot." He shook his head at me. "He wouldn't listen when Luke tried to explain that you didn't work here anymore. It was you or nothing."

I could feel the rage build up from my chest as Magnus told me the story, my face getting hotter as he spoke. "That _bitch_! That complete fricking _traitor_! Oh, I am going to _kill_ her when I next see her, just wait until I get my hands on her!"

I was stood up now, Magnus in front of me with his palms held out. "Now Clary, be rational about this. Iz was just trying to get you back into doing something you used to love-"

"Yeah, used to love, Magnus!" I interrupted, my fury at my best friend making me spew out words left, right and center. "Does the fact that those words are _past tense_ slip your mind!?"

"Clarissa, darling, please calm down. All of us wanted to get you back into modelling, because you were so much more lively back when you were doing this. So when this guy came round and said he wanted you, we all jumped at the chance to get you back into this. Izzy managed to convince Luke that she would be able to get you to do the shoot, although," he shook his head with a small smile, "I'm not shocked at all that she lied to you about this. What did she tell you?"

I blew out a breath and clenched my fists together before replying. "She told me this morning that she was suffering from a severe hangover and there was no way she could get up to do this really important shoot today and would I fill in for her." I sighed. "Of course I said yes. Stupid decision now, isn't it."

Magnus chuckled and framed my face with his hands. "No, not a stupid decision at all, Clare. In fact, quite the opposite." He moved his hands down to my shoulders and turned me round to face the mirror again. "Look at you, Clary. You're a natural model, in fact, I would go as far to say that you were born for something like this. And they asked for you. Not Isabelle, not any of the boys, you." He grinned at me through the glass. "If anyone can do this, it's certainly you."

I felt my shoulders sag, all the fight dissipating from my body. "But what if I screw up, Mags? And my Mom's not here to help me through it anymore, either." My breath hitched slightly, and Magnus turned me back round to pull me in a gentle hug.

"You'll be fine, Clare. I'm here, Alec will guide you, and so will the two hot pieces of men modelling with you." I giggled, and my dark mood was gone just like that. "Come on, let's get you into this dress, shall we?"

Five minutes later and my body was encased in a white dress that came to the tops of my thighs and flowed out into a longer train behind me. It was simple and elegant, and perfect for the fragrance I was portraying; _Angelic Power_.

"You look amazing, Clary," Magnus beamed, his fingers pointed under his chin. "I've definitely still got it." I laughed and smiled at him, before letting out a deep breath.

"Just one more shoot, for old times sake?" I asked Magnus, and he nodded.

"You can decide that later, honey," he replied, and opened the door to the hallway that led to the studio. "I'll meet you there in a minute."

I clenched my fists and, balancing carefully on my four-inch silver heels, I made my way out the door just as Will came from the one opposite me. He stopped in the doorway, and I watched as his eyes wandered down my body and back to my face. I rolled my eyes. _Men_.

"Wow, Clary, you look amazing," Will said, his eyes wide, and I smiled back at him a little shyly.

"Thanks, Will. You don't look so bad yourself, either," I told him, and I meant it. He looked great in his grey suit and tie ensemble, his black hair tousled and flopping over his forehead.

He grinned at me and set off down the hallway next to me, his hands in his pants pockets. "What are you representing?" he asked me, and I shrugged lightly.

"_Angelic Power_," I replied, and he smiled. "You?"

"Pretty accurate for you," he said, and I raised my eyebrows as he grinned. "I'm _Strength_. I think my brother is playing _Fearless_."

"Oh, so Jonathan is your brother then?" I asked, and he nodded, his mouth tightening in a line. "Wait, is this the manwhore, asshat little brother we're talking about here?"

"Manwhore? Well that's definitely a new one."

Will tensed and took his hand out of his pocket to pull it through his hair in frustration. "Clary, meet my little brother, Jace."

I turned round with a smile and held my hand out, but my expression fell flat in disbelief as soon as I saw his face.

Because it was him, the jackass, Sebastian-like, dick from Java Jones, looking every bit the Fearless in his dark jeans and open collar blue shirt, a black blazer tossed casually over his shoulder. His golden hair was standing on end and styled so that it covered his ears, and his eyes were alight with amusement.

"Well, well, well," he began, a smirk pulling up at the corner of his mouth. "If it isn't Little Miss Scarlet Fever. Or, should I say, Clary Garroway?"

Will was regarding both of us with shock on his face. "You two know each other?"

Jace grinned lazily. "She owes me a new shirt, brother."

"He's your brother!?" I squeaked, praying that it wasn't true and that I wasn't about to do a shoot with him.

"Yep, I'm little Jace Herondale, and I'm standing right here," Jace said, waving a hand in front of my face. "Not invisible, Scarlet."

"Tell me you're joking," I whispered, and Jace laughed as Will looked at him stonily.

"'Fraid not, Clary," he said, drawing my name out like he was mocking me. "And now you get the pleasure of doing the shoot with both the Herondales. Lucky you get to be in my presence, Scarlet." He winked at me and then brushed his way between me and Will, making sure he touched my arm as he did. I shivered. "I'll see you in the studio when you get your breath back after looking at my gorgeous good looks."

I watched his back retreat down the hall and shook my head in shock. I'd already had a pretty shit morning, being forced to do a shoot that my best friend had completely set me up for, and now they were making me do it with the very same jackass who was dating my ex's cousin, who also happened to be my new friend's brother?

Someone just kill me now.

Ah, _hell_.

* * *

**Ooooooo...**

**Will and Jace, just, wow. You can put them in a room together and it'd be perfect. Preferably a room with a bed...**

**Finally I have updated, my little Minions! It's been a long time coming, am I right?**

**Please follow me on Twitter if you can (DauntlessDenial) and talk to me over there. I'm more likely to reply ;D**

**I have a complete list of reasons for why all my fanfictions have been on hiatus for a while, but I'm just asking you all to trust me with them, for now at least, okay? I've been going through a rough patch and I've only just now found time to start writing again, so I'm sorry if that means you're all annoyed at me or whatever, but it's been really hard. Have faith in me, yeah? I will see this story through to the end, and I have a hell of a lot planned for this :)**

**Jace: I'm assuming you have more of me though, yes? This chapter was lacking again.**

**Me: You will get your part, yes. Now quit whining, will you?**

**Clary: He's a Herondale; he'll never stop whining.**

**Will: Hey! That's offensive!**

**Tessa: Will, you've done it too. Now shush and be quiet, okay?**

**Will: But you all want to listen to the voice that comes from my amazing face.**

**Jace: I'm better looking than you!**

**Me: You're both freaking gorgeous!**

***Everyone stares at me***

**Me: Uh, did I just say that out loud?**

**Tessa&Clary: *death glare* Yep.**

**Ooops haha ;) Now you know the drill, my Minions! Favourite, review and add to your alerts!**

**See you soon :)**

**- TheGrandGiftOfSilence**

**P.S. Have you all read Clockwork Princess yet? Omg, the most perfect ending to a series I've ever read in my life. But I have to know; Will or Jem? Let me know! :)**


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